5. Smiling

a. Some students say that British people smile a lot, compared to many national groups - often for no particular reason.

b. The British smile as a greeting, smile when asking for something, smile on receiving it.

c. But it is easy to see how this could be misinterpreted by someone in whose culture smiles are used only to ex­press genuine warmth.

d. Yes, if you are from a culture which uses smiles even more, you may not find that the British smile very often. Many students comment that they do not find people in shops, banks, at reception desks smile enough to make them feel welcome.

6. Greetings

As has already been said, British peo­ple do not shake hands very much. In Sheffield people may greet each other by smiling or saying 'hallo'/'hi'/'are you all right?' etc, nodding or raising their eyebrows or, if they are close friends, hugging or kissing each other on the cheek(s). (Heterosexual British males usually do not hug, hold hands with or kiss other men.)

7. Humour

a. Every culture has its own sense of humour, jokes and rules for establishing friendly communications. It is not pos­sible to learn these quickly or easily.

b. British jokes and good humour rely heavily on a shared knowledge of British culture, politics, colloquial language, me­dia and other areas which are unfamiliar to newcomers or even to some people who have been here for several years.

c. Informal relationships among British students and between British students and staff can therefore exclude many international students. Most British people do not realise at all that they are doing this.

d. British humour also relies heavily on teasing or 'leg-pulling', as it is known. This can take the form of picking on as­pects of an individual's personality and exaggerating them in fun.

e. Sarcasm and plays on words are also common.

f. British humour can seem offensive or insulting until you get used to it.

g. Try not to be offended; if you do find it difficult to tolerate, tell the person concerned that you feel very uncomfortable with his/her jokes.

h. Jokes about race, sexuality or gender are generally considered unacceptable.

8. Topics of Conversation

It is usually not considered polite to ask someone their age or their income. Otherwise, most topics can be discussed openly and frankly.

Some cultures will find that the British are prepared to discuss issues which they might consider to be private or not to be widely disclosed. The rules about what is suitable for public disclosure and what is not vary from one culture to another.

9. Privacy

The British may seem to talk about many personal things but are, in fact, very private people.

a. Privacy is regarded as a right.

b. People do not like to share possessions without being asked.

10. Friendship

International students often comment how difficult it is to make friends with UK students. Every group (including yours!) will naturally feel more comfortable with others of the same culture; British students are no different. Remember:

a. friendship takes time in any culture

b. you are coming to University expecting an international experience; the British students aren't - they chose a University in their home country.

c. don't confuse "friendliness" with "friendship".